 |
 |
98-946 - Clean Water Act Issues in the 106th Congress
24-Nov-1998; Claudia Copeland; 5 p.
Abstract: Prospects for reauthorization of the Clean Water Act in the 106th Congress remain uncertain, as they have been for several years, facing challenges that are both political and substantive. The Act was last amended in 1987, and authorizations expired on Sept. 30, 1990. Efforts to pass a comprehensive reauthorization bill in the 104th Congress ended in controversies over whether and how the Act should be made more flexible and less burdensome on regulated entities. Committees did not initiate legislative activity on clean water issues in the 105th Congress. Issues that might be addressed during reauthorization are not, for the most part, easily amenable to straight-forward, consensus solutions. Many involve making difficult tradeoffs between impacts on different sectors of the economy, taking action when there is technical or scientific uncertainty, and allocating governmental responsibilities for implementing the law. If clean water issues receive attention in the 106th Congress, issues that are likely to be of interest include managing animal wastes to minimize water quality and public health impacts, implementation of programs in current law to restore impaired waters, measures to address polluted runoff from farms and city streets, and funding. Impacts of the Act's wetlands permit program, a pivotal and contentious issue in the recent past, also remain on the legislative agenda for many. This report will be updated as developments warrant. [read report]
Topics: Water
|
